Sewing-machine.



N0. 630,559. Patented Aug. 8, |899.

W. N. PARKES.

SEWING MACHINE.

(Application tiled Jan. 6, 1899.) No Model.) 4 Sheets--Shee I.

Ilm,

l ll IIIII Tu: bams frans on.. moraufuo.. wAsmun'ruw. n. c.

No. 630,559. Patented Aug. 8, |899. W. N. PARKES.

SEWING MACHINE.

'Application led Jan. 6, 1899.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

WIM/8858:

N0. 630,559. Patented Aug. 8, |899. W. N. PARKES.

SEWING MACHINE.

(Application mea Jan. e, 1899.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

No. 630,559. Patented Aug. 8, |899. W. N. PARKES.

SEWING MACHINE. (Application led Jan. 6, 1899.) tNo Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

nu: cams mem co. moro-uma.. w'numo'rou. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT Enron.

VILLIAM N. PARKES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y;

SEWING-NIA'CHINB SPECIFICATION for'mg part Of Letters Patent No. 630,559, dated August 8, 18991 Application filed January 6, 1899. Serial No. 701,348. (No modelf) county of Kings, and State of New York, have4 invented cert-ain new and useful Improve ments in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates principally to the class of sewing-machines in which the needle-bar is vibrated laterally, and has for its main o b-v jects, irst, to provide means for giving the looper a movement for engaging the needle? thread at right angles to the lateral movement of the needle and giving the looper a lateral movement in the direction of the lateral movement of the needle, which will enable the needle to engage the looper-thread, and, second, to provide means by which the mechanism which reciprocates the needle and the looper. is actuated twice while the main shaft of the machine and the mechanism which'moves the needle-bar and the looper laterally is actuated once.

In the double-chain-stitch overseaming-machines known to me the looper is reoiprocated longitudinally in substantially a straight line in a direction at right angles to the movement of the feed, and the needle is reciprocated in a gate which is swung laterally in the direction in which the looper is reciprocated longitudinally. In these machines the looper, in addition to the reciprocating movement,has a lateral movement which enables the looper to take the loop of the needlethread on one side of the needle and the needle to enga-ge the loop of the looper-thread on one side of the looper only. In these-machines, asis well understood, the length of the overseam-stitch is very much limited. In United States Patent No. 591,634, issued to me October l2, 1897, I'provide means which vibrates laterallythe reciprocating or working position of the'looper in unison with the lateral vibrations of the needle, which means permits of a considerable increase in the length of the overseam-stitch over what could be made previous to that time. As is well known, in these machines the looper-thread is delivered from one side of the looper only, the movement of the work away from the side of the looper from which the looper-thread is delivered serving asa means for forming the opening between the looper-thread and the lneedle-thread loop in which the needle enters 5 5 just previous to the needle-thread loop being vdelivered from the looper.

These machines, as is well understood, will not stitch when the direction of the feed is reversed, or, in other words, when the work is moved toward 6o the side of the looper from which the looperthread is delivered. The reciprocating movements .of the looper in these machines being substantially in a straight line and the lateral movement of the needle in a curve, it can be readily seen that even though the reciprocatin g position of the looperis vibrated in unison with the lateral vibrations of the needle, as shown in my patent above referred to, as the lateral movements increase the needle and 7o the looper are more separated at the point of loop engagement, which is, of course, their eXtreme lateral positions. My invention which is the subject of this application dif- A fers in several particulars' from the above 75 movements and overcomes the many defects thatare in these machines. In this invention the looper is reciprocated longitudinally at right angles to the laterahvibrations of the Aneedle (which is the direction in which the 8o work is moved in this class of machines) and is moved laterally an extent which is equal to the lateral movement of the needle and the width of the looper combined, the result bemovements form the necessary looping of the thread without respect to the movement of 9o the work and enable backward and forward stitching, which adapts these machines for use in making buttonholes when it is desired to reverse the movement of 'the' work in stitching the sides of the holes.v y It also enlarges the usefulness of these machines in many other directions-such, for 'eXample,as tacking or in making ornamental stitches in which the direction of 'the feed of the work is reversed. It will be observed that in my presroo ent invention the looper is carried by a carrier which swings laterally in a horizontal plane and that this enables a plurality of loopyers-to be carried by one carrier, as is'shown,

for example, in Fig. 9. As thelooper-carricr swings laterally on a center which is vertically central with the pivot of the needle-bar gate, it will be seen that a much longeroverseam-stitch can be made by this mechanism than has heretofore been made on this class of machines.

Referring to the drawings, I only show the mechanism which comprises my needle-bar and looper movements and driving connections for the same, all other parts, including the bed and the arm of the machine, being omitted.

Figure l represents a front View of the looper and needle bar actuating mechanism and driving-shaft for the same. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 is a front end View of the same. Fig. 4 isatop viewof thelooper and its operative connections. Figs. 5 and 6 are views showing the formation of the usual triangle-shaped opening in which the needle enters between the needle and looper threads in double-chain-stitch machines. Figs. 7 and S are views of the needle-plate. Fig. 9 is a top view of a modification of the looper shown in Fig. 4. Fig. l0 is the swinging gate, partly in section, in which the needle-bar is mounted. Fig. 1l is a section on line ll l1, Fig. l0.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

A designates a main driving-shaft having `the usual driving-belt wheel on its end, and

suitably located thereon are two cams I3 C, the former having secured thereto a gear D, which meshes with a smaller one E on a shaft F. To the forward end of the shaft F is a disk Gr, having a ball g suitably mounted thereon, the needle-bar II having a sleeve which also carries a ball 7L, the two being connected by a suitable link I, which permits of the freest movement of the needle-bar in its horizontal and reciprocating motions. The needle-bar can be guided from turning in its bearings or gate by any suitable guideway between the same and the gate--such, for example, as shown in my application of even date and which is partly illustrated in Figs. 10 and ll of this application. As is seen in these figures, the needle-bar II is mounted in a gate N, which is pivoted between pointed screws n. (Bearing for screws not shown.) A collar n2, attached to the needle-bar, has a projection or", extending into a guideway n4, which is formed vertically in the gate, said guideway servin g to prevent any undesirable turning of the needle-bar. Immediately under the needle-bar is located my improved looper meehanism,which consists of a stationary base K, secured to the base of the machine, (not shown,) which has lugs Lk. Between these lugs is secured a vibrating arm L, to which is secured the looper-carrier J. The vibrating arm is held secured between the lugs t' 7o by means of adjusting-screws Z Z',which have suitable lock-n uts thereon. The screws having pointed or tapering ends which serve as a bearing for the arm always insures a perfect alinement of the parts and permits of their easy adjustments and movements. rlhe looper-carrier J in a like manner is secured to the vibrating arm by two pointed or tapering screws jj', which also al lows of an easy movement and adjustment of the same. A looper U is suitably mounted in the looper-carrier J and held in place bya set-screw nf.

M is a rock-shaft which is mounted in suitable bearings and which has on its forward end an arm m, that carries a ball m. The looperearrier J has also a ball j? secured to it, and a link m2 connects the two. The shaft M is reciprocated by means of an eccentric I, which is mounted on a shaft F, a rod p connecting the same to the arm m of the shaft M. rlhus it will be seen that the looper is given a reciprocating movement when the main shaft M is rotated and that by means of the two-to-one gearing between this shaft A and the shaft F it reciprocates twice to one rotation of the main shaft.

Lateral motion is transmitted to a needlebar gateN and tothe looper-earrcrJ through mechanism which I will now describe in detail.

The cam B is so constructed and arranged that it gives the lever O a uniform vibratory motion, the f ulerum of the same being o. The upper end of the lever is formed into a segment 0.

Suitably mounted on a bearing (not shown) below the cam C is a lever R, the upper end of which is in engagement with the cam C. On the lower end of said lever R is formed a Suitable bearing 011 which a lever S is fulcrumed. This lever on its lower end is connected to the vibrating arm L by means of a link s, which has suitable ball-joint connections with the said lever and the said arm, the upper end of the lever s having a projecting stud s. Above the cam (l is suitably fulcrumed another lever T, the lower end being forked to stride the stud s. To the upper and back end is secured one end of a connecting-link if, that is at its other end adjustably connected to the segment 0 of the lever O. On the face of the lever T, at its upper end, is suitably connected one end of a link t', the other end of the said link tbeingsuitably connected with the needle-bar gate. \Vhen it is desired to make a wide zigzag stitch, the end of the link t which is connected to the slotted segment d is adjusted toward the top of the same, and vice versa when a narrow zigzag stitch is wanted.

The looper U is preferably made with a slot u, extending through from side to side, with holes u and u2, through which the thread passes, as is illustrated in Figs. 5 and G. In constructing the looper the holes u and u2 are drilled to meet the slot u. The object of the slot is to facilitate the formation of a guideway for the thread longitudinally through the center of the looper. The construction and arrangement of the looper' mechanism is such TOO IIO

that the pivot of the needle-bar gate and the pivot of the vibrating arm L are in the same vertical line with each other.

The connections and levers which transmit the movements produced by the vibrations of the segment-lever O to the needle-bar and the looper are so arranged and constructed that an equal amount of lateral movementis always given to the looper, and the needle-bar and the cam and lever R are so constructed that they give a sucient additional lateral movement to the looper to enable the proper engagement between it and the needle. Of course it is understood that this cam C is an irregular-acting one, suiiiciently so to enable the looper to engage the needle-thread on the proper side of the needle and to enable the needle to engage the looper-thread alternately on each side of the looper, and that this movement takes place on the looper in addition to the regular zigzag movement which it makes in unison with the lateral movements of the needle.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the looper U has taken the thread and the loop is formed thereon. The looper is about to recede. The views here shown are when the looper is at its eXtreme opposite lateral positions.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 9, it will be seen that I have provided for a double looper U U', in which case the needle-bar can carry two rows of needles, making a double row of intersecting lines of stitches over the same path. The needles in these rows of needles would of course be back of each other in a line parallel with the looper longitudinally. The lengthof the loopers, extent of their reciprocations, the drawing back of the loop of the needle-thread by the looper as vthe loopers recede from the same, and the distance between the needles would determine the number of needles that could be used. Any suitable needle-clamp can be used for holding the needles.

Fig. 7 shows a throat-plate V, that has one tongue fu in the center, which I use on a zigzag machine, the feed being shown in dotted lines, while in Fig. 8 I have shown a modification to be used when the machine is adapted to be used with four or two rows of needles or for two lines of zigzag work. In this plate V are two tongues v fu' and slots Q23 Q24, the slots being for the passage of the needles. The passage of the needles through these slots is as follows: Assuming that the needle-bar is in its lateral position to the right of the center of its lateral movements and it is adapted to carry two rows of needles in lines longitudinally of the loopers, two needles in each row, two of these needles would enter slot fc4 and two slots fc3. AIf now the needlebar should be swung to its lat-eral position to the left of the center of its lateral movements, the two needles which entered slot o4 would now enter slot U3 and the other two would enter slot v2. If an increase or decrease in p or closer together.

'theextentof the lateral movement of the nee dle should be desired, diiferent throat-plates could be formed with the slots farther apart These throat-plates are shown as means for preventing certain kinds of work from being crowded down into the needle-hole and alsofor preventing the goods from drawing.

There are many advantages in the movements herein shown over the ordinary zigzag or overseaming movements which are used in overseaming-machines or buttonhole-ma chines in which a vibrating needle is used, among which I may mentionthat a'plurality of needles can be used in line with the direction of the feed of the work, thus laying a plurality of intersecting threads over the same path. A much larger lateral movement can be given the needle, as its relative position with the looper is always the same when the loop engagement is taking place. The reduction of the movement of the mechanism for giving the lateral movements to the needle-bar and the looper, the driving-shaft, and the balance-wheel to one-half speed of the needle-bar and looper movementis also an advantage in buttonhole-machines which are stopped automatically. It is very evident that with this movement they can be stopped at a much higher rate of speed and with less jar or shock to the machine.

l'. The combination in a sewing-machine having a vertically-reciprocating and laterally vibrating thread carrying needle, a thread-carryinglooper, means adapting the said thread-carrying looper to engage the needle-thread on one side of the needle, and means adapting the needle to engage the looper-thread alternately on each side of the looper, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a sewing-machine having a vertically-reciprocating needle-bar mounted and adapt-ed to be moved laterally, of a reciprocating looper mounted and adapted tobe moved laterally, a mechanism adapted to synchronicall y vibrate laterally the said looper and the aforesaid needle-bar, combined with means adapted to move the vibrating position of the said looper laterally so that the needle descends alternately on each side of the looper, substantially as described.

3. The combination in a sewing-machine having a vertically-reciprocating needle-bar mounted and adapted to be moved laterally, of a reciprocating looper mounted and adapted to be moved laterally, a cam, mechanism intermediate the cam and the needle-bar and the cam and the looper,whereby the looper and the needle-bar are simultaneously vibrated laterally, a second cam, means intermediate the said second cam and the looper whereby the looper is given an additional lateral movement, so that the needle descends alternately on each side of the looper, substantially as described.

4c. The combination in a sewing-machine ICO IOS

IIO

having a needle-bar mounted and adapted to reciprocate in a gate or frame, of a drivingshaft adapted to rotate and means for rotating the same, a second shaft, means intermediate the said driving-shaft and the said second shaft, whereby the second shaft is rotated twice during one rotation of the driving-shaft, an operative connection between the said second shaft and the needle-bar, a third shaft, a connection between said third shaft and said second shaft, whereby said third shaft is oscillated, a carrier, a looper pivoted on the said. carrier, an operative connection between the said third shaft and the said looper, a cani actuated through the movements of the said driving-shaft, an operative connection between the said cam and the aforesaid needle-bar gate, asecond cam, said second cani also actuated through the movements of the said driving-shaft, and an operative connection between the said second cam and the aforesaid carrier, substantially as described.

5. The combination in a sewing-machine having a verticaily-reciprocating needle-bar mounted and adapted to be moved laterally, of a reciprocating looper mounted and adapt-- ed to be moved laterally in the direction in which the needle-bar moves laterally, means adapted to move the said needle-bar and the said looper laterally during the time that the needle is disengaged from the work, combined with means adapted to separately move the said looper laterally when the needle is in engagement with the work so as to bring the looper in a position to engage the needlethread as the needle begins to ascend, substantially as described.

6. The combination in a sewing-machine having a vertically-reciprocating needle-bar mounted in a gate, said gate adapted to be moved laterally, of a looper, a looper-carrier, said looper mounted on said looper-carrier and means for actuating the saine, a lever, a connection between the same and the loopercarrier, a second lever in operative connection with the said first lever, a connection between the said second lever and the needlebar gate, means adapted to vibrate the needle-bar gate laterally, and means adapted to vibrate the fulcrnm of the said first lever in unison with the lateral vibrations of the needle-bar gate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM N. PARKES.

XVitnesses:

E. P. HENDRIcKsoN, GEO. W. EISENBRAUN. 

